Related By Murder by Jo A. Hiestand (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Jo A. Hiestand, who shares the answer to my question...

 

ELF: What do you think is the strongest attraction about the genre you like to write in?

 

JAH:

I write classic mysteries.  I add a strong dose of the cozy element to them—a closed group of people who know each other, all in a small location like a village, and the focus of the story is to solve the identity of the murderer.

For me, and probably many readers, one attraction of reading this type of book is the puzzle, solving the killer’s identity along with—or before—the sleuth does.  It’s a race, pitting our observations and reasoning against those of the experienced detective.  It’s grand fun, attempting to solve the riddle, figuring out clues. It’s a grand workout for the brain.

Another allure this book exerts is escape.  While reading, cares and problems of everyday life are left behind.  We’re plunged into another world, perhaps a different location from where we live.  We get to experience people, sights, customs, and cultures unlike our own, and that’s tremendously interesting.  We’re learning, too, about these places.  Reading a mystery, involving us in the characters’ problems, is a great release from the familiarity (and at times what we may consider boredom) of our routines.  Nothing spices up our lives like escaping to Scotland along with McLaren, for example, and keeping out of a killer’s clutches!

Mysteries also offer a dose of justice.  In our present, crazy world we’re bombarded with news of terrorist strikes, mass shootings, civil unrest, and suicide bombers.  The mystery shows us that this crime, at least, has been dealt with according to Law.  The guilty person has been arrested, possibly about to stand trial and conviction.  Right has triumphed; no one got away with anything.  The system works.

Control might be another attraction to mysteries.  We may have little control over many things in our lives: bad weather, bad drivers, house repairs, co-workers or the boss, family members, rising prices, taxes…  These things can produce frustration, anger, or dejection.  But when we read that the killer is behind bars and all is well in that fictional world, that sense of everything returning to normal assures us that one place, at least, has gained control of the madness that claimed it for a while.

In addition to all this, the genre awards the desire for safety.  No matter the fear produced by the murder, blackmail or assaults, we sense this will end peacefully with the criminal’s apprehension.  There will be no more murders, the blackmail has ended, the physical abuse or threats are over.  The victims and community can relax, stop looking over their shoulders and avoiding shadows.  We are safe.

McLaren isn’t looking to be lied to, insulted, or physically assaulted in Related By Murder.  But those things find him, and his world spirals out of his control.  He loses his sense of safety.  During his hunt for the killer and the person behind the assaults heaped upon him he is pursing an outcome of fairness for himself and the victims.  He, too, puzzles through the clues with which he’s presented, and he triumphs in the end.  There’s more than satisfaction in stopping a killer.  He’s also brought peace to his own life.  It seems to fit right in with the reason we read mysteries.

 

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Related By Murder

by

 Jo A. Hiestand

 

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GENRE: British mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

From the moment ex-police detective Michael McLaren arrives at his friend’s house, he’s plunged into a nightmare of a case. Two men, hanged a year apart, each killed on a Good Friday. A barrister. A solicitor. Related careers. Related by murder. Related motives?

 

Pottery shards, a torn newspaper article, and biscuits are found in each man’s pocket. What do they signify? And the blackmail letters Melanie receives… Are they related to the murders, or are they separate, terrifying in their own way?

 

Professions, calendar date, McLaren’s attack. Could it all be entwined? Or is the motive for murder something else, something so secret that keeping it is worth attempting a third one?

 

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NOTE: The book is temporarily on sale for $0.99.

(please check price before purchasing)

 

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EXCERPT

McLaren sat up and leaned against the remnant of a broken-off column. How long had he been there? Forty-five minutes, his wristwatch announced. It was time to end this farce.

 

He didn’t, though. A beam of light near the river changed his plan. He crouched down, hugging the column, and watched.

 

The torchlight moved up the riverbank, a slow and steady progress that implied the walker was picking his way over rocky ground. The light bobbed several times as the person holding it evidently lost his footing. But it remained focused ahead, toward the main grounds of the Abbey. The progress was now more sure, signifying the rocks and sand had been left behind and the walker was now on firm soil. The light never flicked from side to side, as it would if the person was unsure of the land and was looking for obstacles. Several times the light slid behind a portion of the stone wall or a taller column remainder, but it always appeared again within seconds, still moving straight ahead.

 

Who the hell would be here at this hour?

 

Suggestions whispered to him, and he moved quickly to the cemetery section of the Abbey. Hoping to blend in and look like another pile of rocky foundation, he crouched beside a stone coffin. He turned his head and held his breath, not wanting any sound to give away his location.

 

When he looked up, the light had vanished.

 

 

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

I grew up reading Dumas, Twain, duMaurier, Dickens and the Brontes.  I loved the atmosphere of those books. Add the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce movies and the moods of 1940s/50s movies like Brief Encounter, Night Must Fall, and The Thirty-Nine Steps, and I knew I wanted to write mysteries, and the books had to be set in Britain. That was a must even though I knew only what I’d seen in the movies and read in the novels.  But the British pull was tenacious.  Three years ago I discovered that I have literally centuries and centuries of English, Scottish and Welsh ancestry.  Do genes mean anything

My first visit to England was during my college years and that cemented my joy of Things British.  Since then, I’ve been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there for a year during my professional folksinging stint.

What do I write?  Well, at the moment, I write two British mystery series: the McLaren Mysteries and the Peak District Mysteries.  The McLaren novels feature ex-police detective Michael McLaren, who investigates cold case murders on his own.  The Peak District books feature a different British custom/tradition that is the backbone of each book’s plot.  These are a combo cozy/police procedural, and members of the Derbyshire Constabulary CID Murder team work these cases.

I combined my love of writing, mysteries, music, and board games by co-inventing a mystery-solving treasure-hunting game, P.I.R.A.T.E.S.

I founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the international mystery writers/readers organization Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president. 

In 2001, I graduated from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors.  I live in the St. Louis, MO area with my cat, Tennyson, and way too many kilts.

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GIVEAWAY

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The tour dates can be found here

 

 

Photo Shoot by Jo A Hiestand (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Photo Shoot

by 

Jo A. Hiestand

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GENRE:Mystery

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BLURB:

Michael McLaren returns home from working a cold case in Cumbria to learn that he’s missed his uncle’s wedding in Scotland.  Angry and fearful that his absence has re-opened the family rift just as it’s healed, he drives to the ancestral home, hoping his appearance and explanation will be accepted. He’s more than welcomed. His uncle asks him to investigate the murder of his first fiancee.

Fiona Lennox was found in a rowboat on a Scottish loch, shot to death during a late night photo shoot. Why would she rent a boat after dark? Did she take it out to photograph the moonlight on the water? She could’ve done, being a professional photographer, but she was also a proponent of civic and environmental causes, which she documented with her camera. Did someone linked to one of her crusades kill her, or was the motive personal?

As McLaren uncovers layers of Fiona’s life and the reason for her nocturnal outing, he and his family are targets of intensifying attacks. But it’s not until he races against a kidnapper’s deadline and the threat of a loved one’s watery death that he realizes who killed Fiona⎯implications that are as deep and dark as the Scottish loch.

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EXCERPT

The dog growled again, a deep throated threat of pending attack.

McLaren stepped around the dog, trying not to alarm or distract it. He hesitated, gazing at the top of the stairs again, considering which way to turn at the landing. No sound carried down to them. That wouldn’t help locate the intruder. He murmured, “I’ll see if something’s wrong, shall I? You stay here, Grandfather.”

Neill grabbed the dog’s collar, whispering “Heel” as he pulled Mungo to his side.

McLaren eased onto the bottom step, hesitated, then inched up to the landing. He paused, letting his eyes adjust to the gloom and listened. A sound of wood sliding on wood came from his left. Was someone opening a dresser drawer? He tiptoed down the hallway, keeping as close to the wall as possible. If the floor had a tendency to squeak, it would most likely be in the middle where centuries of traffic had weakened it.

He kept his left hand on the wall, balancing himself and feeling for unexpected objects like framed photos, which might fall and alert the intruder if McLaren knocked against them. But the wall was bare. Only the feel of wallpaper slid beneath his fingers.

He stopped a foot or so from the first room on his left and listened. Even though the door was closed, the faint scraping was more distinct. He crept up to the door, his right hand on the knob, his left hand near the door’s edge. He flung open the door. The sound of scraping wood, the sensation of cold air, and an image of a dark shape greeted him.

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British.  Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there during her professional folksinging stint.  This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Peak District mysteries and the McLaren mystery series.

 Jo’s insistence for accuracy--from police methods and location layout to the general “feel” of the area--has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire for research.  These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English.  She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis-area home.

Website

Facebook

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GIVEAWAY



a Rafflecopter giveaway 


The tour dates can be found here



*********************************


My review:

3.75 out of 5 stars

Photo Shoot by Jo A. Hiestand is part of the ‘McLaren Mysteries’ series and centers around the doughty former police detective as he becomes closer to his formerly estranged surviving relatives. His desire to help celebrate his uncle’s recent marriage is complicated by a request to investigate a cold case involving the man’s former fiancée. Using his honed investigative skills, he attempts to ferret out the truth behind her death, but the risk to him and his family may be a higher price to pay than anyone anticipated.

This mystery evokes the stark beauty of Scotland and its lochs and stalwart inhabitants. The detective-turned-stonemason is as tenacious as ever and a study in contrasts with his desire to make a connection that wars with his instinctive withdrawal from society to continue mourning his losses. I enjoy being able to armchair travel and get a glimpse of a society far different from my own and I wish I could get to know the characters in a little more depth. There are entertaining twists to the story but I think there are a few dangling threads that still need to be resolved. Despite this, I enjoy watching Michael McLaren’s investigative techniques and his patience for teasing out important details and I think that those who enjoy mysteries in an exotic setting should give this story a try.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

Arrested Flight by Jo A. Hiestand (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Arrested Flight

by Jo A. Hiestand

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GENRE: British mystery

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BLURB:

Ex-police detective Michael McLaren is determined to have a peaceful holiday after the fiasco of his first attempt at Windermere, so he stops at a bed-and-breakfast in Moorton, a village in Cumbria.  But mystery and murder seek him out, and he soon succumbs to the B&B owner’s plea to investigate the year-old death of her daughter’s fiancé, a young musician.

The Lake District parish seems peaceful, but a rival  musician’s jealousy and a business partner’s anger boil beneath the façade.  Mix that with ‘Barmy Barry’s’ sightings of fairy lights  at the castle, references to Uther Pendragon's return and the secrets in the woods, and McLaren finds his sanity shaky.

When the vicar is attacked and Barry disappears, McLaren sets a trap for the killer.  But as it plays out, his concern shifts from the potential capture to praying he and his friend can escape with their lives.

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EXCERPT

McLaren’s fingers wrapped around the torch. It would do for a weapon if he needed it. He remained there for several minutes, hardly daring to breathe. When the tower fell into darkness, he crept toward it.

He made for the nearest corner, groping for it in the confusion of darkness. It gradually defined itself, separating from the night as his sight adjusted to the new blackness. He reached, stiff-armed, for the wall and nearly yelped. Ivy, brittle with cold and age, wrapped around his fingertips and grabbed at his ring. He jerked away, momentarily alarmed. The wind sighed through the leaves, rustling gently, and he cursed his stupidity. He laid his hand back on the wall and moved toward the main archway.

The moon had inched above the treetops by the time he came to the end of the wall. He glanced up, hoping for cloud cover. The sky was clear. He cursed his choice of the hour and prayed for rain, but he knew it to be a hollow hope. He kept his hand on the stone wall as he left the moonlit courtyard. Drifts of snow sagged against the base of the tower, chilling the air with a hint of frost and emphasizing the position of the foundation. He crouched near the entry, ignoring the arch, and pressed the torch against his chest. And waited in the darkness.

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British.  Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there during her professional folksinging stint.  This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren mystery series.

 Jo’s insistence for accuracyfrom police methods and location layout to the general “feel” of the areahas driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire for research.  These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English.  She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis home.

Website

Amazon author page

Goodreads author page

Goodreads series page

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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway




The tour dates can be found here




********************************* 

My review:

4 out of 5 stars

Arrested Flight by Jo A. Hiestand is a contemporary mystery set in England featuring former police detective Michael McLaren as he stumbles into another mystery while he is searching for a place to vacation. Not only is there a cold case to be solved, but the folks he meets definitely seem to have their share of secrets. Despite his wariness due to events in his recent past, McLaren feels compelled to use his skills to investigate, but the danger increases until a single cold case will explode into a wide-ranging set of mysteries that may prove to be life-threatening.

This is the 8^th book in the ‘McLaren Mysteries’ series but can be read as a stand-alone story. There are allusions to McLaren’s tragic past, but I was relieved to see that he is working through his grief and starting to heal, although possibly with a little bit of rebound effect. I enjoy this author’s ability to evoke quaint scenes of picturesque villages and people them with a broad spectrum of characters who add richness to the story. The vivid descriptions make me want to snuggle into a warm jacket and sip on a steaming cup of tea while following the twisty trail that the detective is doggedly pursuing, even as I scratch my head at some of the interactions he has. Personally, I find it disconcerting that additional points of view suddenly pop up occasionally, and there are odd explosions of violence along the way, but they definitely added to the mystery. There is a hint of otherworldliness that adds to the aura of the story and I enjoyed this opportunity to both armchair travel and savor the mystery. I look forward to finding out what new adventures this tenacious man encounters.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

An Unwilling Suspect by Jo Hiestand (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

An Unwilling Suspect

by Jo A. Hiestand

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GENRE: British mystery

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BLURB:

McLaren’s fiancée tragically died one month ago. Trying to heal emotionally from her death, McLaren settles into a rented farmhouse in the woods near picturesque Lake Windermere, in Cumbria. But he’s barely had a chance to rest when Helen, the woman in the neighboring cottage, is killed…and is discovered near his front door.

Because McLaren had spent much of the previous day with her, and his snowy footprints lead to and from her house, he becomes the prime murder suspect in what the police label a frustrated romantic advance.

Motives for Helen’s murder are as chilling as the outdoor temperature. There’s the hands-on garage mechanic who’d like to put his hands all over her, the affluent fishing guide, and Helen’s former boyfriend who wanted to renew the relationship.


Can McLaren find the killer before the police jail him for murder?

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EXCERPT

The acrid smell of smoke woke him. He lay in bed, trying to understand what was happening. As the significance of the odor occurred to him, he threw back the duvet and got up quickly.

He forgot that he’d looked up a few things last night. He must have fallen asleep without putting away the laptop, for it flipped off the top of the bed and crashed onto the floor. “Damn.” He bent over and picked it up. The top dangled, gripping the keyboard by its left edge. McLaren punched the power button but nothing happened. The screen stayed black. He tossed the laptop onto the bed and quickly slipped into his jeans and shoes as the odor intensified.

He ran into the front room. Fingers of light gray smoke threaded through the air and he coughed, but he saw no other sign of fire. He checked the back room, kitchen and second bedroom, but encountered nothing more than smoke. As he dashed back into the front, he glanced outside. The land was on fire.

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British.  Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there during her professional folk singing stint.  This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren cold case mystery series.

 Jo’s insistence for accuracy, from police methods and location layout to the general feel of the area, has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire for research.  These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English.  She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

Her cat Tennyson shares her St. Louis home.

Website

Facebook

YouTube

************************

GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here

************************

My review:

3.75 out of 5 stars

An Unwilling Suspect by Jo A. Hiestand is a mystery set in England that is part of the ‘McLaren Mysteries’ series. Michael McLaren has availed himself of a countryside retreat in Windemere offered him to use while he tries to recover from his recent tragedy. A neighborly act somehow enmeshes him in a murder investigation with him as the number one suspect. The more he tries to discover the true murderer, the more complicated the case becomes, even when he calls in a former colleague. Danger mounts until it is possible he may not live to uncover the true murderer.

There are beautifully emotional elements in this story and some vividly described scenes that evoke a countryside retreat. The story starts on a gentle mournful note and gains momentum as McLaren interacts with various denizens while battling grief and ultimately, while conducting his own investigation of the murder he is accused of. Clues and red herrings abound until the final exciting twists, and there is a mystical element that adds another layer of mystery to the story.

There are a few elements that were uncomfortable for me, including the shifting and numerous points of view that don’t quite sync with the third person omniscient, as well as the apparent preponderance of characters who seem amazingly bloodthirsty and amoral. Not everything is tied up in a tidy bow, so I still have plenty of questions. Although this is part of a series, there is enough detail that one is not completely lost, but the allusions to previous events definitely encourage one’s curiosity about what would have brought McLaren to this point. I think that those who like mysteries with a somewhat sobering British flair will enjoy this tale.

A copy of this title was given to me for review

No Known Address by Jo A. Hiestand (spotlight, excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY) GFT

No Known Address

by Jo A Hiestand

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GENRE: British mystery

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BLURB:

The man seemed not to hear the continuous whine of the phone receiver lying on his lap. He sat upright, stiff-backed, in a wooden kitchen chair that, like the house, had seen better days. As he had also seen better days, he reminded himself, glancing at the calendar on the wall. A date circled in black ink smirked at him, the remaining days of the month X-ed out. As though he was counting down to something. But the dates were three years old.

The discrepancy didn’t bother him. He had never flipped over the rest of the months. They didn’t intrigue him; it didn’t upset him that he had stared at January for more than a thousand days. If he flipped over the page it would signal that the search needed to continue into another month. And possibly another. And another. The consequence was too terrible to comprehend.

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EXCERPT

The impact of the assault knocked the breath from his lungs, and he fell to the ground without time to brace himself. He slammed into the asphalt as his attacker grabbed his legs. McLaren shook his head, determined to remain conscious, yet the pain from his ribs washed over him. He could see nothing but the dark figure, hear nothing but the scrape of his feet as he fought to right himself, and the labored breathing of his opponent.

As his assailant reached for McLaren’s arms, McLaren seized the man’s wrist and pivoted the hand backward. A satisfying ‘crack’ shot into the night, followed by a yelp. The man released his grip of McLaren’s forearm and rolled over, taking McLaren with him. McLaren felt the man’s chest on top of him, felt the firm muscles and the warm breath against his face. Determined to gain the advantage, McLaren pulled up his strength from somewhere within him and rolled to his side while pushing the man off. McLaren grabbed the car door handle and pulled himself to his feet. But his assailant regained his balance quicker, and he lurched at McLaren. In the darkness he misjudged the distance; he recoiled off the side of the car and staggered around to its rear, his hand groping the slick metal surface for support.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Books, Girl Scouts and music filled Jo A. Hiestand’s childhood. She discovered the magic of words and the worlds they create: mysteries, English medieval history, the natural world. She explored the joys of the outdoors through Girl Scout camping trips and summers as a canoeing instructor and camp counselor. Brought up on classical, big band and baroque music, she was groomed as a concert pianist until forsaking the piano for the harpsichord. She also plays a Martin guitar and has sung in a semi-professional folkgroup in the US and as a soloist in England.

This mixture formed the foundation for her writing. A true Anglophile, Jo wanted to create a mystery series that featured a British police detective who left the Force over an injustice and now investigates cold cases on his own. The result is the McLaren Mysteries, featuring ex-police detective Michael McLaren.

Jo’s insistence for accuracy -- from police methods and location layout to the general “feel” of the area -- has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire. These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English. She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

She has employed her love of writing, board games and music in other ways by co-inventing a mystery-solving game, P.I.R.A.T.E.S., which uses maps, graphics, song lyrics, and other clues to lead the players to the lost treasure.

Jo founded the Greater St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serving as its first president. Besides her love of mysteries and early music, she also enjoys photography, reading, crewel embroidery, and her backyard wildlife.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis-area home.

LINKS:

Goodreads
Facebook
Website

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here


***************************


Review: 

I inadvertently signed up to review this title before realizing it is being published by The Wild Rose Press. To avoid any bashing due to my connection to the company (as an editor), I respectfully declined to review even though it sounds like a wonderfully exciting tale. I am fortunate that my fellow blogger, Crystal, from Reviews by Crystal, has graciously agreed to read and review for me.

Crystal's Review:

4 out of 5 Stars 

 

No Known Address is the first work I have read by  Jo A Hiestand. She has written an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. 

Michael McLaren is asked by his old friend to take on a cold case three years old. McLaren starts investigating the disappearance of Luke Barber and discovers all kinds of suspects that might know something. McLaren finds himself in many dangerous situations with all these people who can't quite seem to get their story straight. Luke's disappearance is a huge mystery to all involved, or so it seems. 

Jamie (McLaren's copper friend) helps with the investigation along the way. He's known the Barber family for years and just wants to help an old friend find his son. He doesn't expect McLaren to discover so many suspects or questions along the way.

 

I enjoyed the mystery, the suspense, and the drama. Jo Hiestand has a nice writing voice that was easy to read. This is the sixth book in the McLaren Mystery series but it stood alone just fine. I didn't feel like I was missing any information to take away from the story line. 

I liked McLaren and found his investigative techniques interesting. I have to say the ending was completely unexpected. I did not see that coming at all. I honestly thought that it was going to lead in another direction. I won't tell you what happens because I would not want to spoil the story for anyone. I will say there are going to be times you might need to reach for your Kleenex box. 

I was given the opportunity to read this book so that I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you on No Known Address. 

 

Reviews by Crystal

An Unfolding Trap by Jo A. Hiestand (VBT, guest post, excerpt and GIVEAWAY) GFT

I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by author Jo A. Hiestand, one of the Roses in the Wild Rose Press garden, who answers...

ELF:  What do you think is the strongest attraction about the genre you like to write in?

JAH:  I write classic mysteries. I add a strong dose of the cozy element to them—a closed group of people who know each other, all in a small location like a village, and the focus of the story is to solve the identity of the murderer.

For me, and probably many readers, one attraction of reading this type of book is the puzzle, solving the killer’s identity along with—or before—the sleuth does. It’s a race, pitting our observations and reasoning against those of the experienced detective. It’s grand fun, attempting to solve the riddle, figuring out clues; a grand workout for the brain.

Another allure this book exerts is escape. While reading, cares and problems of every day life are left behind. We’re plunged into another world, perhaps a different location from where we live. We get to experience people, sights, customs, cultures unlike our own, and that’s tremendously interesting. We’re learning, too, about these places. Reading a mystery, involving us in the characters’ problems, is a great release from the familiarity (and at times what we may consider boredom) of our routines. Nothing spices up our lives like escaping to Scotland along with McLaren, for example, and keeping out of a killer’s clutches!

Mysteries also offer a dose of Justice. In our present, crazy world we’re bombarded with news of terrorist strikes, mass shootings, civil unrest, and suicide bombers. The mystery shows us that this crime, at least, has been dealt with according to Law. The guilty person has been arrested, possibly about to stand trial and conviction. Right has triumphed; no one got away with anything. The system works.

Control might be another attraction to mysteries. We may have little control over many things in our lives: bad weather, bad drivers, house repairs, co-workers or the boss, family members, rising prices, taxes… These things can produce frustration, anger, or dejection. But when we read that the killer is behind bars and all is well in that fictional world, that sense of everything returning to normal assures us that one place, at least, has gained control of the madness that claimed it for a while.

In addition to all this, the genre awards the sense of safety. No matter the fear produced by the murder, blackmail or assaults, we sense this will end peacefully with the criminal’s apprehension. There will be no more murders, the blackmail has ended, the physical abuse or threats are over. The victims and community can relax, stop looking over their shoulders and avoiding shadows. We are safe.

McLaren isn’t looking for a killer or kidnapper or family trouble in An Unfolding Trap. But those things find him, and his world spirals out of his control. He loses his sense of safety. During his hunt for the killer and the person behind the assaults heaped upon him he is pursing an outcome of Justice for himself and the victims. He, too, puzzles through the clues with which he’s presented, and he triumphs in the end. There’s more than satisfaction in stopping a killer and madman, and rescuing a victim in the Scottish highlands. He’s also brought peace to his own life. It seems to fit right in with the reason we read mysteries.


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An Unfolding Trap

by Jo A. Hiestand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: British mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Since his infancy, Michael McLaren has been the target of his paternal grandfather’s anger. So when the patriarch sends an invitation to heal the rift, McLaren travels to Scotland, eager to meet and finally end the feud. But the welcome never happens. If Grandfather hadn’t invited him, who had? And why?

In Edinburgh, a man standing beside McLaren in a bus queue is killed in a hit-and-run accident. After an attack leaves McLaren for dead on a wintry moor, he’s convinced someone from his past is trying to murder him.

As McLaren trails the hit-and-run driver from the medieval ‘underground city’ of Edinburgh to the Boar’s Rock the MacLaren Clan’s ancestral meeting place the assaults intensify, and he’s plunged into a very personal hunt for a World War II treasure. The puzzle is fascinating; he just has to stay alive to solve it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

Ross leaned forward, closing the distance between them. “You’re sure you didn’t get angry when you found him this afternoon?”

“Of course I got angry!  Who the hell wouldn’t? The bloody git killed a man, frightened a dozen others who were there, kidnapped Miss Skene, held her hostage⎯”  McLaren stopped before saying Lanny had knocked him on the head and left him for dead in the marshland along the loch, or that he was a threat to Neill McLaren. He took a deep breath. “But I didn’t kill him. I tied him up so he wouldn’t escape, then phoned you when I could.”

“An hour later.” The voice was flat, unimpressed.

“Yes. An hour later. Maybe ninety minutes. I didn’t write down the time, but I phoned here, in the village.”

“Why wait so long to ring us?”

“Pardon?” The suspicion that things were turning horribly wrong whispered to McLaren.

“Why didn’t you phone right then? Did you want to put some space between you and the killing so you could establish an alibi?”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A month-long trip to England during her college years introduced Jo to the joys of Things British. Since then, she has been lured back nearly a dozen times, and lived there during her professional folk singing stint. This intimate knowledge of Britain forms the backbone of both the Taylor & Graham mysteries and the McLaren cold case mystery series.

Jo’s insistence for accuracy, from police methods and location layout to the general feel of the area, has driven her innumerable times to Derbyshire for research. These explorations and conferences with police friends provide the detail filling the books.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English. She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors. Her cat Tennyson shares her St. Louis home.




LINKS:

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